A fountain and a gate, both about a century old, are now Park Ridge historic landmarks after the City Council voted Feb. 2 to approve officially giving them that distinction.
The William H. Malone Fountain was built in 1926 as a public donation by the city’s second mayor. It is located near Rita’s Ice on Northwest Highway, was designed by local sculptor John Paulding and paid for by Malone as a gift to the town. Malone, who was also a developer, also built the Pickwick Theater, which is the first Park Ridge structure designated as a historic landmark.
The fountain is currently shuttered for the winter, but is operational.
The gates at Berry Parkway were erected sometime in the 1920s as the entryway to an early subdivision. The gates are wrought iron and greystone.
Both the fountain and the gates are currently maintained by the city’s Public Works Department, though the gates had, prior to 2024, been maintained by area residents.
Joan Mattingly, chair of the Historical Preservation Commission, said the gates have long been held in high regard by neighbors in the area.
“The community there is very close knit,” she said. “They’ve bonded together to support the gates and to keep the community special.”
For the most part, the recognition is ceremonial, though it encourages upkeep and public interest. It does not prohibit future changes to the property or the items.
Mayor Marty Maloney asked whether, at some point in the future, the city or a developer could remove the now-landmarks.
“The city has options. Any City Council in any given town can landmark an item and take away that landmark. That is extremely rare and extremely controversial,” Drew Awsumb, the city’s director of community preservation and development, explained.
Awsumb said the intent of landmarking the items is to preserve them. So while these things could be moved elsewhere, there would have to be a public meeting and another vote.
City Council members approved the landmark status without much discussion.
Awsumb said the gates are in “acceptable condition” and “well preserved.”
The last thing the city gave landmark status to was the Maine Township Town Hall, done in 2023.
After the City Council meeting, Mattingly praised the city’s decision to landmark the two familiar structures. She said she hoped the votes would inspire more people to request landmark status on old items of significance to the town. Typically property owners have to request landmark status.
“(The Historic Preservation Committee) cannot landmark on its own,” she wrote in an email, “but must wait for an owner of a property or structure to request landmarking. Advocates in the community are much appreciated!”
She said while the city of Park Ridge isn’t that old, there are historically significant landmarks around town worthy of designation as a means of protecting important sites. Park Ridge was incorporated as a city in April 1910.
“The two newest landmarks, the Malone Fountain and the Berry Parkway Gates, are both significant structures that should be specially recognized,” Mattingly stated. “Though I don’t think either of these elements are in danger, landmarking provides an extra layer of protection. If an opportunity to develop the little park outside Rita’s comes along, there will need to be conversation with the Historic Preservation Commission along with various city departments before the Fountain can be torn down or relocated. The same with the Gates.”
Jesse Wright is a freelancer.
